Communication network-based information services have become the norm in today's world. In fact, most every computing device which provides information services is capable of connecting to one or more different types of communication networks, and is generally capable of sharing information with a global array of other computing devices via the networks. The Internet and the related World Wide Web are prime examples of a ubiquitous global communication network and a global information service framework. Many people in the world today routinely use a network-attached client computing device to remotely access “online” information services which are provided by various network-attached server computing devices. Examples of such online information services which are routinely remotely accessed by users via client devices include reading and sending emails, purchasing goods and services, information sharing and retrieval, entertainment, and banking, just to name a few.
Many types of online information services today require prospective users to first formally login to a previously established user account on a secure server which provides the desired service(s). The user login procedure generally requires that the prospective users be positively identified and authenticated before they are allowed to access the information services provided by the secure server. The user login procedure is commonly performed via each prospective user supplying the secure server with a username and a password which uniquely identify the user to the server. In the case where the prospective users are remotely logging into the secure server from a client, a secure connection may be established between the client and the server in order to enhance the security of communications during the user login procedure.